


Penumbra

by AttonRand



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Genre: F/F, F/M, Injury, LetBaoDurLive2Kforever, Light Side Run, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, The exile loves their crew more than anything and I'll hear nothing against that, as always, friendship building, in later chapters I promise, just talked about extensively, mandalorian wars discourse, post kotor I, revan is not actually in this, some exploration of the past, time jumps between chapters most likely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:07:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8108782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AttonRand/pseuds/AttonRand
Summary: "Did you ever love someone?" He hummed, casually."I followed someone to the end of the galaxy and never said a word about it."He made to look to her, but thought better of it and kept his eyes on the planet below them. "Did you know them at all?"A breath of silence passed, followed by a resounding,"No."





	

“As if this could get any worse.” She muttered quietly. Silence wasn’t necessary seeing as she  _ was _ the only living thing within at least a 3 room radius. Even so, the countless droids she’d battled made her all the more nervous about galavanting around as loud as possible. Sighing, she tried to wipe the oil from her hand on the lousy undergarments the Republic had provided for her, but pinched her eyes shut when it merely added to the dirtiness on her legs. If she had to disassemble  _ one more droid…. _

She tried to ignore that thought, knowing full well there were probably close to hundreds just waiting for her to arrive in the mining facility. She focused on the large room in front of her, wondering if any of the control panels worked. As she moved to her left, she felt the familiar pull of the force, however detached it may have been. “What is-?”

Kreia spoke in her mind and she had to hold back the overwhelming shudder she felt run through her body at the new connection between the two. Kreia’s words confirmed her suspicion as she neared the door. There  _ was _ another person on planet with them. She tried not to get her hopes up, for all she knew this person was going to try and murder her the second they made eye contact.  _ Still _ , she thought  _ I haven’t felt a pull like that in a very long time _ . With a long glance at her hands, she let the quiet feeling of the force meander over her before continuing. 

The man in question ended up being almost as surprised to see her as she was to see him. Quipping about the mining uniform regulations had earned a hard eye roll from her and her bite back formed a grin on his face she was sure she’d never be able to wipe away. He’d seemed genuine enough, and even offered to help with her trek through the base, claiming to know a way to get into the system in order to get to the Ebon Hawk. 

_ Atton. Atton Rand. _ She filed his name away with the way his eyes couldn’t seem to sit on one thing for more than five seconds, or the way he pretended to fiddle with his hands--even the quiet counting he did under his breath. She was sure he thought he was being quiet about it, but with the knowledge that he  _ had _ been enclosed in that room for three days without food had her dismissing it without a second thought. Even when he questioned her about her love life of all things, she couldn’t find it in her to be properly annoyed, simply calling him out on eying her breasts in such an obvious way. 

And he’d grinned while she cursed the flutter in her stomach.  _ So much for modesty _ . 

Even so, she couldn’t help but notice the way his voice dripped with concern when she explained her plan to get to the Ebon Hawk. T3 was out of commission and there was no other way to get out, save waiting for rescue--which was more unlikely than a Sith lord showing up. 

Later the irony of that thought would haunt her. 

Of course it was expected for him to argue over the danger of the situation and attempt to think of an alternative, but she would hear none of it. She knew there was no choice, nor time to spend trying to fight with the order of the universe. Even without the force she knew when the universe was pushing her into something purposefully.

And so she left, comm link and a bag of security spikes hanging from her pathetic excuse for underwear. To say she was delighted to find a mining uniform was an understatement. Though it was big, and Atton had made her roll her eyes again (she had a feeling she was going to roll them out of her head if he stuck around), the uniform fit and she didn’t have to worry about looking like a girl from Nar Shaddaa anymore. 

She lost Atton. Of course she would, the tunnels were anything but open for comm signals. She supposed it was just so, and after taking apart even more droids ( _ what even was the point of sneaking around if they saw her anyway?) _ and maneuvering around a kind of-definitely-malfunctioing HK unit, she found him again. She giggled as she saw his mouth drop and heard him over the comm.  _ “Are you crazy?”  _ He’d asked.

So maybe walking around on a not secure bridge on a planet destined to blow up with one mistake wasn’t the  _ best _ idea. But she’d be damned if she could save at least one person from the barracks across the way. Of course she  _ hadn’t _ factored in the arrival of a completely empty republic ship save for the  _ sith lord _ that Kreia had insisted on fighting. 

As she tapped around the hyperspace navigator she shook her head. She hadn’t started the day with expectations but it definitely was a lot more than she intended on doing. After morosely answering questions about her past ( _ No it wasn’t red--yes it was double bladed--no I don’t think Kreia’s a sith--would you like me to punch you for that?) _ and Kreia being quite more cryptic than usual, the exile curled up in the co-pilots chair and stared out at the hyperspace, listening to the steady rhythm of Atton’s voice counting under his breath.

“Going to sleep on me already? I thought you’d be nervous I’d kill you.” Atton quietly jabbed. He kept his voice even, but she knew he was grinning--just a little.

She kept her eyes on the stars.  “I still haven’t decided whether you’re a homicidal maniac yet.” He breathed in to speak once more before she added,“And it’s been a long day. I didn’t get my beauty sleep.”

“Well we wouldn’t want that, would we?” She hummed noncommittally in response. “Glad that that’s your problem with today. Would’ve thought it was the sith lord that put a damper on your plans.” He clicked a few more buttons and she recognized the sound of the monitors turning to auto pilot. “Or was it the blowing up the planet that besmirched your sleep schedule?”

She finally glanced to see his eyes steadily on her, knowing he was scanning her reaction and gauging her personality as he did. She grinned lazily, her eyes begging for sleep. “Actually, it was the scoundrel pilot.” She mused, watching his mouth twitch as he attempted to keep a straight face. “Terrible flirt, you know the type.”

“Of course.” His look faltered into a sly grin for a second, before he gained his composure. It was quick, but it had been there. “Painfully attractive too, I’m sure.”

Her eyes drooped and she leaned back into her chair, aware that he’d put his feet up on the center console. “I wouldn’t say that much,” She said, “Pain in the ass if anything.”

He might’ve said something, but she missed it as she dozed off. She scolded herself as she did, wondering if she really could trust him.  _ Well,  _ she thought,  _ if he tries anything I’m sure Kreia could kill him. _

A presence above her was what finally pushed her out of her cloudy state. She grabbed and flipped, not fully knowing what was happening, and came down to the floor, face to face with a very surprised brunette. 

A smirk appeared on his face as he glanced down at her hand on his chest. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.” 

Rolling off of him and groaning, the exile stood up and offered a hand to him. 

“Not a morning person?”

“Ask me again in ten minutes.” He chuckled quietly before he sat in the pilot’s chair and set his hands on console. 

He glanced back at her for a moment as if checking that she hadn’t bolted. “We’re dropping out of hyperspace in a few minutes,” he said. Hesitating he continued, “You might want to sit down.”

She weighed her options, wondering if she could come out of hyperspace on her feet. She’d been able to stand it during the Mandalorian Wars--of course that was before she’d had ten years of foregoing her training to a less physical lifestyle. Sighing, she took her seat just as Atton pulled back on the steering ( _ Why is this ship so fracking rough to handle)  _ and what she assumed was Telos, came into view. 

A loud beeping from the console began as soon as they exited hyperspace. 

“Well that’s not good.” She murmured.

Atton groaned and rubbed his temple. “You think?” He exhaled. They exchanged a quick glance before returning the gaze to the red light on the center console. “Shall I do the honors?” He breathed quietly. She merely shrugged before he tapped the communication line open. 

Apparently blowing up a planet doesn’t go over very smoothly in post wartime. Not that she’d thought it would but one can always hope. Ending up in jail was a plus, at least the light buzzing of the cells kept her from going mad in the silence. Kreia and Atton seemed to have even more problems than they did before, but she wasn’t about to get in the middle of  _ that _ . The assassination attempt was almost the highlight of her day. 

 

_ Almost _ .

 

“No ship, no droid,” Atton muttered as he paced on the shuttle. The exile sat lazily on one end of the seats, feet up on the pole in the center of the aisle. Kreia stared out the window. Atton paced past the exile with a huff. 

She stuck her foot out in front of him and he stopped to shoot her an annoyed look. “Relax.” She ordered. “I’ll figure it out.” He rolled his eyes and resumed his pacing. She pretended not to notice the glances he kept tossing her way, instead looking out the window at the planet below wondering just how far were they all willing to fall. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This chapter is mostly just to set up the dynamic and get the story moving. It's mainly focused on light side narrative but will delve into the darker parts of the narrative. 
> 
> Leave a comment or some kudos please, and as always, have a lovely day!


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